


want

by elena_stidham



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Bittersweet Ending, Guilt, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, One-Sided Attraction, Selectively Mute Link, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 04:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15283266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elena_stidham/pseuds/elena_stidham
Summary: "No amount of Grace or healing could save Link from the pain that he felt every time they’d make eye contact. There was a part of him that sees her, every time he’d stare behind the gloss in Sidon’s eyes – there was some kind of spark in her soul that he’d find there every time."//Based on honestground's wonderful Sidlink hcs on Tumblr





	want

**Author's Note:**

  * For [honestground](https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestground/gifts).



> WARNINGS FOR: Language, heavy angst with a bittersweet ending  
> SONGS USED TO GET IN THE MOOD: The Atmospheric Calm playlist on Spotify  
> Basically, honestground on Tumblr had sent out a general plea of a fic exploring Sidon and Link’s complicated relationship in her headcanons, and I decided to tackle the challenge. As someone that ships both Zelink and Sidlink (with a heavy lean to Zelink) it’s a nice change of pace. On a side note: if you’d like to read more fics and little snippets and possibly get first glimpses at WIPs please consider following my Zelda tumblr, minuetofthewild. If you’d prefer to see just what I get up to and things I find pretty, you’d probably prefer my personal, elenastidham. Either way, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my go at this!  
> -Elena

The problem with this was the fact it was _all_ a problem to begin with. Taking away from the facts alone about this relationship, Link knew that the thunderstorm bubbling in his stomach wasn’t going to disintegrate into delicate fireflies.

The facts could be broken down into three parts:

  1. Link wanted to fuck him
  2. He was his dead ex-fiancée’s baby brother
  3. He knew him as an actual infant



Granted, Link’s age practically froze stiff in the Shrine of Resurrection, but nothing really sat right about the facts regardless. It _really_ didn’t help that they were of different species altogether – not that it’s stopped him before – but as far as settling down? He knew it wouldn’t work, and he knew that he’d really like to have kids someday. As much as it ached, it was something that Sidon just couldn’t provide.

A part of him knew that the feeling was mutual, but a lot lighter on the prince’s end; Link seemed have already made up his mind, but there was so much left that he couldn’t just establish.

Such as, the fact that Sidon was a living reminder of his failures.

Reliving Mipha’s loss as time granted him his memories was absolutely _devastating,_ the sudden realisation of who she was and how he loved her made him feel sick at himself for even glancing at her brother. And the fact that he failed her? The fact he failed all of them? The guilt was immensely crushing.

All he could think about, all he could imagine every time he’d see her face in Zora’s Domain was how she most likely died within her own Divine Beast. He remembered that monster he had to fight – he remembered how he nearly died once or twice from the spear alone. It was almost ironic, really, the princess with a reputation of being ruthless with a spear was most likely taken out by one. That was _if_ her death was quick and painless.

Knowing Mipha, she probably put up the fight of her life – and the fight of her death.

Link likes to pretend that he doesn’t see Sidon practically praying to the statue of her sometimes during the day, asking if she’s alright and worrying that what he’s doing isn’t enough, as if it’s his fault that she died. He likes to think that Sidon probably never noticed him staring, his eyes bowed and wishing he didn’t have to screw things up all the time.

They know better than that.  

No amount of Grace or healing could save Link from the pain that he felt every time they’d make eye contact. There was a part of him that sees her, every time he’d stare behind the gloss in Sidon’s eyes – there was some kind of spark in her soul that he’d find there every time.

Link tries not to think about her every time she looks at him, he tries not to let the very image of her seep into his subconscious and remind him that he was a living, breathing, failure. He tries this, but still he cannot sleep at night.

It’s everything he can do to push him away like this, to prevent them from going forward. It’s everything he can try to withhold those thoughts so he doesn’t destroy everything. He’s adamant about this, knowing for a fact that a relationship between them would be such an insult to Mipha’s memory, and he refuses to let himself and his selfishness be the cause of tainting it.

Sidon wonders this, too, and there are many nights where he finds himself asking her this very question while he’s outside. The statue gazes back in silence, and speaks no answer.

It was a sick joke, really. The one thing he would be searching for would never come up.

Sidon makes his way up the spiral steps to where Link is staying for the night – he always made sure that the Hylian Champion receives the best room in the inn. He knocks on the door gently, waiting for something to indicate whether or not he should stay or leave. Nothing comes at first, but as he turns to leave, he hears the door open.

He turns back, his smile wide as he’s about to tell the Hylian goodnight, but he freezes and his smile falters.

“Goddess,” Sidon gasps. “You look _awful._ ”

Despite having only been in the Domain for just a few days, Link looks as though he hasn’t slept at all. There’s a reddish tinge on his nose, the same tinge that cradles his cheekbones and cushions his eyes, just around the hollow dark circles that seem a little more prominent during the night. Link leans against the doorframe, clearly exhausted in more ways than one.

“Do I?” he laughs. It was unclear whether or not it was intended to be humorous.

“Have you eaten today? Have you bathed?” Sidon asks, now visibly worried. “Hylia, Link, when was the last time you _slept?”_

Link shrugs, honestly unaware of the time he’s spent before he finds himself being hoisted up and into the bed. He pats him, hard, as a way to tell the Zora to put him down, but it’s not until he’s back on the bed where every part of him is released.

Sidon sits at the end, waiting there calmly. “You can bathe in the morning and I’ll have the best breakfast prepared for you. For now, you look like you’re going to collapse from a lack of sleep any minute. You need to rest.” He isn’t leaving, just sitting there anxiously as he waits for the Hylian fall asleep in the bed, but he doesn’t.

Instead, he’s staring off, his eyes beaming out the window directly towards the statue of Mipha, where it’s clear what he thinks, and it’s clear where he stands.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” Sidon says, finally, noticing the look in his eyes.

Link just hums. It’s unclear if he was even listening.

“Even if you would have made it to Vah Ruta in time, it probably would have killed you too,” Sidon thinks, trying his best to comfort. He understands where the pain is coming from, the guilt as well, but he still is trying to wrap his head around why the Hylian Champion seems so off-put around him. So _afraid._ “Then we’d all be doomed.”

Link finally sighs, turning his head to face the prince. “I know I couldn’t save her,” he breathes. “But what if, now, I can’t save _you?”_

Sidon tilts his head, suddenly taken by surprise. He stares for just a brief moment, before he just smiles warmly. “Is that all you’ve been worried about?” He thinks, maybe if this was the thing that kept him so distant, then things would actually be smoother sailing from here on out. However, there were no such waves.

He scoots closer, but Link pushes himself further away. “There’s more than one meaning to save, Sidon.”

Oh.

_Oh._

Sidon pauses, then purses his lips together. He isn’t sure how to take this now that he knows what they want won’t be easy. He thinks, and for a just a moment, everything might just turn out alright, even past the doubt in their heads. He lowers his voice, to something small, and almost weak. “Maybe, then, I don’t want to be saved.”

Their eyes connect in contact, and before Link can say anything more, and in their moment of vulnerability their lips connect with the same force. His hands freeze somewhere in mid-air, his body matching with his mind for a brief moment as he feels the sudden heat crawling across his spine. And while they kiss it seems that they reach a similar ending at the same time – but Link takes it one more step far.

He scrambles off the bed, his hands shaking as his breathing is heavy. He struggles to think for a moment, ignoring every ounce in him that’s telling him to get back on the bed and have the ride of his life. Finally, Link frantically shakes his head and steps back. “We can’t do this,” he grits his teeth and is careful to breathe. “Ever. We can’t do any of this.”

Sidon swallows hard, watching the hero scramble for his sword and start to walk. He practically leaps off the bed after him, reaching for him as if he was going to leave forever. “Let’s talk about this—”

“—I absolutely do _not_ want to talk about this.”

The door slams, and Link takes this opportunity to dip somewhere away while Sidon scrambles to open it and chase down the stairs, thinking that he’s somewhere along there. However, Link takes this chance to leap from the tower, using his paraglider to land somewhere offshore, marching up the side of a mountain to where he knows he can find something to fight. At this point he doesn’t care if the only thing he has are his underpants and a sword that most likely is going to break, but he knows that there’s arrows up there. He’ll make good use of them.

Link has a tendency to be self-destructive.

By the time Sidon thinks to check somewhere out of the Domain, he hears a roar piercing from the top of the mounting.

_Fucking Hylia._

He races to the waterfall to swim up, and after doing so he rushes up to the mountain, preparing himself to sweep in and take Link away to recover from the damage, but by the time he reaches the top he sees that there is no lynel in sight. He freezes, watching as Link pants, holding onto his legs and practically gasping to his knee.

“Are you alright?” Sidon manages to ask.

Link turns, only bearing a small reaction when he notices it’s the Zora that’s speaking to him. He nods, turning back to the nothingness for a moment – that must have been where it died – before curving back around and starting to descend.

Sidon rushes to him, quickly catching him in his arms and pulling him up. He quickly scans the boy, then notices there’s hardly even a scratch on him. “For someone that’s supposed to be so brave, you’re awfully reckless,” he comments with a sigh. Link only grins, his limbs weak. The prince carries the exhausted hero back to his room at the inn, and lays him down, but this time, he doesn’t stay behind.

When Link wakes up the following morning he’s practically swimming in his thoughts. He pries himself off the blankets, forcing himself to prolong his stay so he could clean himself and get something to eat, the events of the night before on repeat. He wanders down the steps and into the grand open hall, noticing where Sidon stands again – staring at her.

This time, Link doesn’t pretend that he doesn’t see.

He walks up to the Zora, standing next to him and not saying anything at first. He’s already packed and ready to leave, his eyes looking at her but already focusing somewhere beyond else. He doesn’t speak, and it’s not for a few more minutes before finally he hears someone else’s words.

“I think it’s impossible to detach her from us,” Sidon says. “My sister played such a vital role in both of our lives, I feel that it would be an insult to her to try and throw that away to focus on ourselves.”

Link agrees.

Sidon’s eyes glance down, somewhere off to the side, before he turns his head and finally faces the Hylian. “But that doesn’t mean we can turn this into a bad thing,” he smiles, warm and hoping. “We’ll always be connected through Mipha, but we can take that and just build upon it.”

This time, Link finally seems to understand.

He looks down at his armour, his hand caressing over the tiniest of fine details upon the print – before he rips something off. Sidon perks up, about to question his actions before he sees the object that is being pressed against his palm.

“You’d make better use of it than I would.”

Sidon looks down – the Zora’s Sapphire glistening brilliant and bright against the mist surrounding his hand. He stares for just a moment, before looking up at his friend. There’s smiles there, but he’s also unsure. “She wanted you to have it.”

Link just shrugs. “And I want you to have keep it.”

They pause, before Sidon reaches in and pulls the tiny Hylian into a tight hug, closing his eyes and taking in the scent of him there. “I still have to keep telling you how incredible you are,” he whispers. “And how thankful I am.”

Link finally opens his eyes, and after a brief moment he steps away. They lock eyes, no more words exchanged as their looks convey the promise they intend to keep as long as they’re still alive.

_Please, remember me._


End file.
